10/06/2020
ELITE Clothing Solutions is a social enterprise run by ELITE Supported Employment Agency designed to help people living with a disability or facing disadvantage to access, secure and maintain work in Wales, with appropriate interventions of support.
They take a person-centred approach to skills training and on the job support to help people progress to their goal of paid employment. Jobseekers can experience volunteering, work placements or paid employment either within their business or in the community.
Since the start of March, more than 126 million pieces of PPE have been used in Wales due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as reported by Welsh Government. In response to this, Wales’ First Minister announced in April, plans to create a "Made-in-Wales supply chain for PPE". ELITE Clothing Solutions were one such Welsh manufacturer which commenced production of medical scrubs for front-line workers
The Welsh Government said it had set up the deal in response to news that the standard production lines, in Asia, would partly shut down during the Pandemic. After buying "a large amount of fabric in the UK market" Welsh Government established the scrubs deal between UK-based firm Alexandra, ELITE Clothing Solutions, other Welsh manufacturers and a host of volunteers.
The UK's lockdown measures had earlier forced the Ebbw Vale social enterprise to furlough its staff, but the new deal meant that the whole of their production team could return to work.
“Throughout the COVID-19 crisis we’ve found Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council very proactive in their response to local businesses. This has been really important to us as a Social Enterprise, where we initially received financial considerations from the Authority, and have since been supported with business continuity from the Business & Innovation Team within the Regeneration Division, enabling future collaborative work with other organisations.”
Andrea Wayman, Chief Executive Officer, ELITE Clothing Solutions
www.eliteclothingsolutions.co.uk